


Cross-Cultural Purposes

by kitausuret



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Venom (Comics)
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Guardians and Space Knight crews mentioned, I'm Bad At Tagging, Interspecies Awkwardness, Kissing, Oral Hygiene, Other, Pre-Relationship, Psychic Bond, Space Shenanigans, it started as a joke and then it evolved, so many feelings, this fic is weird okay, venom has a reason for everything and flash just goes with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 12:38:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13167090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitausuret/pseuds/kitausuret
Summary: In-between missions with the Guardians and their recent companions on their journey as Agents of the Cosmos, Flash and Venom have been building and strengthening their bond. But there is still much they don't understand about each other. After such a long and arduous journey, though, they're beginning to see the depths of their symbiosis.(Also: Venom is curious about Flash taking care of his teeth and wants to know what all the fuss is about. What started as a crackfic turned into revelations about feelings and other wild things.)





	Cross-Cultural Purposes

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I have to give credit where credit's due, and the fact is that this fic began when my manager asked me if I thought Venom brushed his teeth. Thanks to [Amaronith](http://archiveofourown.org/users/amaronith/pseuds/amaronith)'s influence, it evolved into what you see here. I really have no further explanation or excuse for it.
> 
> Historian's Note: The following takes place between _Venom: Space Knight_ #6 and #7.

_"I kissed an alien. Didn't even know that was on my bucket list."_  
_"Technically, don't you kiss an alien when wearing the-"_  
_"Don't ruin this for me, 803."_

_\- Flash Thompson and 803, Venom: Space Knight #3_

 

Flash still couldn’t believe they had a ship with great water recycling and a couple rooms that vaguely resembled small bathhouses or restrooms. Maybe the ol’ Thompson luck was starting to turn around. Maybe it was karma, finally kicking in for the better. Whatever _it_ was, he didn’t want to jinx this newfound fortune. He could afford to be optimistic.

The last time he’d rendezvoused with the Guardians, he’d brought over a bunch of supplies from their last stop on Earth. He and Venom were spending more and more time away from them, and besides, this ship was nicer than the _C.I.T.T._ (though he didn’t dare tell Rocket that). Flash had a crew now, too (a crew! God, this mission was starting to feel more and more like a _Star Trek_ episode) and they had more or less accepted him and Venom as their _de facto_ leaders.

The ship’s time was roughly evening, but time didn’t mean much when you could get a call for help at three in the morning. He slept when he could and Venom assisted in that regard. There was something strangely helpful about being bonded with an alien that could just shut your brain down for you. But when the Cosmos called… it was on full blast.

(He was so glad the Guardians’ last stop on Earth had included the chance to get instant coffee. It was insultingly bad but it did the trick.)

They were en route to a planet about a day’s journey away, still tracking Mercurio and the terrorist’s allies. Iqa and Pik Rollo were on the same deck, training in the large open room they’d designated for practice combat. Pik Rollo’s daughter, Hilla, was probably still bothering 803, and Flash had sent Venom down to check on the repairs in engineering. Two weeks, and they’d already settled into a kind of routine.

Hair still damp from a much-needed shower, Flash sat on the counter near the washbasin, holding a mirror in one hand and brushing his teeth with the other. Last thing he needed to be dealing with was cavities while a zillion light years from his dentist. Every tooth cleaned, he rinsed out his mouth and grabbed the dental floss next to the sink. He yanked out several inches, wrapped each end around his index fingers, and got to work.

As he was working through the bottom row, a dark, liquid shape slunk through the crack in the washroom door. The shadow carefully skirted past the old wheelchair Flash insisted on keeping on-board, despite Venom’s protests that they shouldn’t need it. The rest of it pooled through, and in a rush of movement, reformed into the humanoid shape Venom had recently adopted.

“Hey buddy,” Flash greeted around the floss. “What’s up?”

_“803 has completed the repairs to the propulsion systems, but is not…”_ His sibilant voice trailed off for a second as his gaze finally landed on Flash. _“...not certain…”_

“Venom? Everything okay?” He pulled the floss out from between his back two molars. He glanced down. He was in Spider-Man boxers, but he always wore them before a potentially dangerous mission. (He was convinced they were lucky.) _That_ couldn’t be what was bothering him.

_“What are you doing?”_

“What do you mean, what am I…” He realized what Venom was asking. “...Oh! Flossing. You know.” Flash unwound the used string from his fingers and balled it up, throwing it in a makeshift trash can. “Gets the gunk out from in-between your teeth.” It occurred to him at that moment that while Venom was within him, the symbiote probably didn’t pay all that much attention to the mundane nightly rituals of his partner.

Venom’s expressions were often difficult to read, but he seemed concerned. _“Should I be… flossing?”_

Flash scratched at the back of his head. He’d never thought about it. Klyntar were amorphous by nature and while it seemed that most did indeed manifest teeth when attached to a host, it wasn’t necessarily inherent. Just about every time he’d seen Venom, though, it had been with a startling number of sharp, glistening teeth. It didn’t occur to him they’d need cleaning. They always looked fine. While bonded, since the cleansing, nothing ever felt particularly… bad. Venom didn’t really eat, just fed off the metabolism and brain chemistry of his host.

“You probably don’t need to?”

_“I have felt you perform this ritual at least every day. I had never seen it from the outside.”_

“Yeah, well, I don’t have an… automatic cleaning system… or whatever.”

_“I purge impurities on a microscopic level.”_

“That sounds… efficient.”

_“It is.”_ Venom took a small step forward, and even sitting on the counter, Flash had to tilt his head back a little to meet his gaze. _“Your way is less so, but I find it intriguing.”_

“Intriguing, huh? That’s… weird.”

Why was Venom staring at him so intensely? He was still getting a little bit used to this solid form, as much as he enjoyed being able to verbally communicate with his partner. And while Venom had occasionally adopted a mirror of the Guardians design as his form, usually this was the one he used: broad musculature, whited out eyes, and no qualms about showing every one of his teeth. He didn’t really have lips. Or rather, he chose not to form them.

_“You are my partner in all things, Flash. Is it so strange I want to understand you?”_

Flash cleared his throat. “Er, no, it’s just, it’s so mundane, it’s just…” Venom had come very close now, one huge, clawed hand braced against the edge of the sink. The symbiote did not generate body heat, so Flash had no idea why his face felt so warm. He shook away the feeling and tried for words again. “Are you trying to ask me something?”

_“I am asking you…”_ A small tendril snaked out and snagged Flash’s toothbrush from the counter. _“...to teach me.”_

“Uh. What?”

_“I wish to understand the significance of this act.”_

Perplexed, he took the toothbrush and grimaced. “It’s just a weird hygiene thing, like showering or washing your hands.” He ran his hand through his hair. _Why am I trying to explain this?_

Venom placed his other hand at the opposite side of the counter, leaning down so Flash wouldn’t have to crane his neck. _“We are supposed to be learning from each other. It is part of the bond.”_

“Come on, Venom,” he said with a slight laugh, “you’re, you know, a part of me. I mean, you’re in my brain. Or… attached to it. How much more _bonded_ can we be?”

The Klyntar fell silent but didn’t move. The only disadvantage of being like this was that he couldn’t tell what Venom was thinking. Flash sighed.

“...Okay, fine, I guess if it means that much to you…”

He turned on the makeshift tap and ran his own toothbrush under it before squeezing a small glob of toothpaste onto it. Venom had settled into a crouch in front of the counter, watching Flash. Most times, Flash was looking up at Venom, and there was something strange about looking down from his place on the counter. He felt slightly ridiculous, but that had been his life the past few years: Slightly (or really) ridiculous.

“Well, open up.”

Venom dutifully complied, flashing every one of his canines. His tongue lolled out, and for a moment, Flash wondered what its true length was. They’d get to that, eventually. He hesitated, and then leaned forward to start scrubbing at the back few teeth. Venom opened his mouth wider, and Flash bit back a chuckle.

_Could probably fit my whole head in there._

But of course he could. Even back in the old days, he’d used the whole “eat your brains” bluff once or twice. Flash continued his methodical scrubbing of each tooth, which took a good several seconds because each was so large. A few times he had to use his free hand to pull back Venom’s mouth and reach a back tooth. For his part, Venom sat almost perfectly still, letting Flash clean his teeth without complaint. The symbiote seemed… oddly relaxed.

When he reached the bottom row, he stopped about halfway over because of the appendage blocking his way. “Hey, uh, your tongue’s in the way.” Still looking up at Flash, Venom moved his tongue, but it accidentally slopped over Flash’s hand in the process. An involuntary shudder ran up his spine at the action.

Nothing weird about it. Just a tongue. Except that it was prehensile, and could extend to be well over a couple feet long-

_“Flasssh?”_ The symbiote’s words came out a little strange, given the precarious position they both were in.

He’d been staring at Venom’s tongue and definitely not his teeth. “Uh, I was just thinking that we’re gonna need to brush that tongue, too. Since, you know, that’s a big part of it. And you wanted to learn.” Flash turned his attention back to the large canines before him and resumed brushing, one at a time. He kept talking, because it was the only thing keeping his thoughts from straying back towards the reddish-pink appendage threatening to drip saliva onto the floor. “Anyways, I do this twice a day. I kind of feel like I need to keep myself looking proper, since, you know, I’m _technically_ an ambassador for Earth.”

He pulled back at Venom’s mouth again and scrubbed gently at the last couple teeth. It was weird, because normally the symbiote didn’t smell like anything, and now the faint aroma of mint wafted from his gaping maw. Would he be able to taste it the next time Venom wrapped him up? Did Venom taste it? Did he even _have_ taste buds?

It startled him sometimes, how much he didn’t know about his partner. Maybe Venom was onto something, with them learning about each other.

Flash settled his gaze back on Venom’s tongue, and found he had to reapply toothpaste for the third time since they’d begun. “Okay… this might be a little weird.” _Not any weirder than brushing an alien’s huge mouth which sometimes is kind of_ your _mouth,_ he thought, and leaned forward. “Open wide, so I can get the back.” Venom did so, and though it was variable in size by the very nature of Klyntar being shapeshifters, Flash still marveled a little. Every part of Venom radiated power, and to have his partner kneeling before him, calmly allowing the strange exchange to take place, sent a weird little thrill through him.

But they were just learning. Just exchanging information. Right.

He quelled any intrusive thoughts and scrubbed down Venom’s tongue. At a certain point, Flash had to hold up the part that hung past his teeth and follow with the toothbrush. It wasn’t as slimy as he originally anticipated, just kind of… damp. He brushed all the way to the tip, and quirked a little smile when he finished.

“And there. Brushing is all done. Then you just have to rinse the toothpaste out.” He wiped the hand that had been holding up Venom’s tongue on his boxers and rinsed the toothbrush off. Then he took a cup, filled it from the tap, and handed it to his companion. “You’ll, uh, need lips. And then you just kinda slosh the water around your mouth and spit it out into the sink.”

After a pause, Venom seemed to grasp the concept, and for maybe the first time, those rows of sharp teeth vanished behind a pretty good approximation of lips. His tongue, too, retracted back inside, and he did as Flash suggested. When finished, Venom settled back before his host, tongue swiping curiously over his freshly-polished teeth.

_“You are a fine teacher,”_ he finally said. _“That was… strange, but pleasant.”_

Flash raised an eyebrow. “Really? You enjoyed that?”

_“I do not remember them all clearly, but… I do not believe I have ever had a host - a_ partner _\- who considered my well-being as much as their own.”_

He felt a pang of guilt at the words. It hadn’t been so long ago, not really, that he probably would have fallen into that category. For the longest time, he’d simply _used_ Venom, keeping the symbiote sedated with a cocktail of drugs and iron willpower. Flash looked down, and spotted a handful of tendrils inching towards him. He turned his hand palm-up, and let them settle in his hand, the odd sensation of their bond re-solidifying as he did. He felt Venom in his thoughts, just barely, but still he spoke aloud.

_“I do not blame you for the decisions you made before returning me home, Flash.”_

“I know, Venom, and we’ve talked about this before, but…”

His voice trailed off as Venom rose and placed a clawed hand under his chin, gently tilting it up. Flash shivered at the - the only word he could come up with in the moment was _tenderness_ \- with which his partner did this. Through their bond flowed such an incredible sense of trust and some emotion he had no word for that it made his breath catch in his throat. It was more than just a chemical reaction. It was more than just the biological imperative to keep a host happy to discourage severing the bond. It was everything their bond had been from the beginning and _more_. Gone was the resentment, replaced with a sense of unity and duty that had, somehow, been there all along, just smothered by Venom’s past corruption and rage.

And for a moment, he felt like they were back in the Savage Land, Venom whispering promises in his ear to never abandon him, knowing they needed each other; knowing that together, they were greater than the sum of their parts. Only now, he knew that it was more than just a ploy. It was the truth. Maybe, just maybe, that had been their truth the whole time.

Venom moved his hand to cup his partner’s face, and when Flash leaned into it, a renewed burst of affection flit through them both. _“My people may have granted me a fresh start,”_ he murmured softly, _“but_ you _have had the most profound impact on me. I was unable, at the time, to properly express my gratitude.”_

Flash closed his eyes; brought a memory to the forefront.

_You were trapped and I set you free._

**_I gave you strength when you had none._ **

So much had changed since that day when, for the first time, they’d really tried to _understand_ each other. It had been a harrowing and painful conversation. But neither of them were now who they had been at that point in time. Flash reached up and covered Venom’s hand with his own. He felt the other’s mind in the back of his own, a curious, almost wary presence. The memory faded, and he was all at once aware of Venom moving closer; _closer_ -

Something touched his lips, and at first he thought his partner had moved to fully rebond with him, but Venom made no move to re-wrap him. Instead, what felt suspiciously like another pair of lips slotted against his own. Flash froze, a little startled by this development. What was-?

Almost immediately, Venom backed off and removed his hand from Flash’s face. Mild panic flitted through their bond. _“I - I am sorry, I had seen this act in your memories.”_ Flash opened his eyes, and saw now how stricken the symbiote looked. The last time he’d seen such a pained expression on Venom’s face had been…

...after bonding with Mercurio and realizing how his violent actions had scared Flash…

Sudden guilt weighed on him. Did he think this had been like that? “Hey, Venom, stop,” he said, finding his words after several seconds. He managed to snag Venom’s hand in his own and pull him closer before he could shapeshift away. He tugged his partner back down, and Venom had just formed lips again when Flash pulled him into another kiss. Tendrils wrapped slowly up his arms, some disappearing into the flesh to weave their minds together once again. Flash leaned up into the kiss, tasting spearmint on the smooth flesh, and mused absently that, well, Venom had pretty damn impeccable timing on deciding when to kiss him. He took a breath, drawing in air tinged with that same freshness.

He reached up to grasp at the back of Venom’s head, pulling him down as Flash settled back against the hard surface of the vanity. Venom had to catch himself on the edge of the sink even as his partner dragged him closer. Flash gasped at the sudden cold on his back and shoulders, a sharp contrast to the heat that had risen in his face. While initially timid, Venom was catching onto Flash’s trains of thought and trusting his cues.

It was only after a hint of wanting; of needing more that Venom let his tongue poke tentatively into Flash’s mouth. Flash’s only response was to pull Venom closer yet with a soft grunt. The lingering taste was cool and pleasant. Venom’s tongue twined carefully around his own, almost mimicking the sensation he felt in his mind when they were bonded, the act drawing an unexpected noise from the back of his throat. He drew in a breath, stealing air his partner didn’t need anyways, and he felt a little dizzy at the whirlwind of emotions.

Venom’s thoughts were curious and a little startled by Flash’s responsiveness to this act. Flash could feel him taking in every emotion; every breath and tender shift of their lips against each other, and it cycled through that place where two minds were one. Carefully, Venom snuck a hand under Flash’s shoulderblades, pulling him away from the hard countertop. The outpouring of affection; of trust and gratitude and unspoken promises, was overwhelming. Flash couldn’t help the weird little smile that quirked his lips when Venom finally released his tongue. When their lips at last parted, it felt a little like he’d lost his words.

He breathed out a single phrase: “Wow.”

_“‘Wow’?”_ Venom repeated, drawing back just enough to meet Flash’s slightly dazed eyes.

“Yeah, Venom; ‘wow’. As in, that was…”

He used his arms to push himself upright again. _Unexpected? Intense?_ It still felt a little bit like coming down from an adrenaline high. Flash licked his lips and tasted mint. He chuckled.

“...Where did you learn all that, anyways?” He vaguely recalled Venom saying something about seeing it in his memories.

_“From you, of course.”_

An image flashed to the forefront of his memory: The first time he and Betty Brant kissed after getting back together. It had been just a few months since his tour in Iraq and the accident that had changed his life forever. It had been a happy memory of a time that had been both great light and great dark in his life. He supposed it made sense it would be something Venom might latch onto.

_“It is something you have done in times of great, inexplicable emotion.”_ Venom seemed a little embarrassed to be admitting this. _“I did not have a better means of expressing myself within or outside of our bond. And so I was… compelled.”_

“To kiss me?”

_“You enjoyed it.”_

“I did.” He paused and tapped his fingers together. “So, I’ve taught you a couple things. Maybe you can teach me something.” Flash tilted his head at the symbiote. “There was a moment there when it felt like… like a feedback loop. I know we’ve felt that before, usually when getting our asses beat into the ground by whatever bad thing shows up on the next planet. But this was different.”

_“That is still the bond. That was the bond strengthening.”_

He contemplated that for a moment. His frequently-absent mentor, Tarna, had criticized him for not being well in-sync with his Klyntar. Well… he certainly felt a lot more in sync _now_ than he had the three or so weeks ago she’d told him as much. If Venom and he bonded just as much through kissing as much as they did slicing through Mercurio’s hired guns, well, who was anyone to question it? He looked up to see Venom once again very close.

_“I had also hoped to convey the depths of what I feel when we are bonded, Flash.”_

His eyebrows shot up. “You feel _that?_ That’s…”

Flash laughed and leaned forward, capturing his partner’s lips once more, just a brief taste. _Times of great, inexplicable emotion._ Yeah, that was a pretty accurate description. Emotions far beyond words he knew or even could access in Venom’s vast knowledge of languages filled him. How had he never noticed them before?

_“They are deep-set,”_ Venom said, sibilant voice more hushed than usual. _“And complex; at times confusing. It is strange to experience them after years of feeding only on rage.”_

He smirked a little at that. “I know a thing or two about that.” Flash reached up to pat him on the cheek. “But we’ll get through it together, all right?”

Warm affection flooded through his subconscious, and without warning, Venom scooped him up off of the vanity. Flash let out a yelp and glanced at the wheelchair still parked nearby.

“Venom, come on, don’t-”

_“You have provided a great deal for me. Will you not allow me to return the favor?”_

He grumbled something about replacing the symbiote with the prosthetics 803 had crafted for him someday. Venom pointedly ignored that and headed out and into Flash’s dark quarters with a grace that belied his otherwise bulky stature in this state.

“Where are you taking me, anyways?”

_“To your bed, of course.”_

He choked on his next words, craning his neck to stare wide-eyed at Venom.

_“You require sleep, Flash.”_

“...Right, yeah. Sleep schedule’s pretty messed up right now.”

Venom deposited his charge gently onto the covers, pausing only to stroke his face with the backs of his claws. _“You are exceptional, Flash. And it is my honor to be your partner.”_ And before Flash could find words to respond, Venom abandoned his current shape and flowed over the human’s body. Within moments, he’d disappeared beneath the surface, settled both in Flash’s mind and body.

Flash slumped back on the bed, closing his eyes. He felt more than ever that they understood each other, and frankly, it was wonderful. Venom was already helping ease him into sleep, but Flash managed to send back one last thought:

_Pal, the honor’s all mine._


End file.
